For those of you who live in Texas, or have lived in Texas within the last thirty years or so, you will more than likely be familiar with the TV show called “Texas Country Reporter”. Back in the early 1970’s some television producers from Dallas decided to hit the road and do a show on the people and places within the “backroads” of Texas. In the early days, the show concentrated on asking folks about serious topics such as Vietnam and Watergate. However, war and political corruption didn’t seem as interesting to Texans as did the various stories of small towns and its people; thus, that became the weekly entertainment of the show. The Texas Country Reporter is still on the air today. If you are in Houston, you can watch it on Sunday afternoons at 4:30 on KTBU 55.

Over the years, Bob Phillips, the host of the show, collected numerous recipes from all over the state and decided to ask viewers to send in their favorite recipes to compile a cookbook, as a result, the Texas Country Reporter Cookbook was written. Texas consists of 268,820 square miles and is the second largest state in the United States, so you can imagine the cuisines vary from region to region; South Texas Plains, Gulf Coast, Piney Woods, Prairies and Lakes, Panhandle Plains, Hill Country and Big Bend Country.

I’ve made several recipes from this cookbook in the past, so decided to try two new ones for this blog. The first recipe is called “Quick Casserole” and it was quick to prepare. I wouldn’t serve this to guests, but it was a good “fill-in” meal during the week, especially when you’ve had a long day at work and you don’t feel like being in the kitchen all night preparing a meal. Best of all, the ingredients are probably already in your pantry. The only change I made to this recipe was omitting the corn, as I detest corn in my casseroles. The second recipe I chose is called, “Peanut Butter Bars” and reminds me of a dessert that they used to serve us in elementary school for lunch. It’s a peanut butter and oatmeal bar topped with a thin layer of chocolate icing. This blog is making me gain weight with the sweets, so this one will be going to work with me and I’m sure the men will be thankful. It’s not fair that they can eat like pigs and not gain an ounce.

Quick Casserole

Quick Casserole

1 pound ground beef

1 small onion, chopped

1 package Kraft Macaroni and Cheese mix

1 (17 oz.) can whole kernel corn, drained

2 (8 oz.) cans tomato sauce

Salt and pepper, to taste

1 cup shredded Velveeta cheese

In a large skillet, brown ground beef and onions until beef is lightly brown and onions are tended. Drain on paper towels. Meanwhile, prepare Kraft Mac & Cheese according to the box directions. Place ground beef mixture and macaroni and cheese mixture into a greased 2-quart casserole dish. Add corn and tomato sauce and mix well. Top with Velveeta cheese, cover and bake at 350F for 30 minute or until bubbly.

Peanut Butter Bars

Peanut Butter Bars

Bars:

1 cup butter

1 cup sugar

1 cup light brown sugar

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla

½ cup plus 3 tablespoons smooth peanut butter

2 cups all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 cups quick oats

Chocolate Frosting:

1/3 cup butter, softened

1 cup powdered sugar

1 ½ teaspoons cocoa

½ teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven toe 350F. Cream together the butter, sugar and brown sugar. Add eggs, vanilla and peanut butter and beat until well combined. Add flour, salt, baking soda and oats and mix well. Pour batter into a greased 9×13” baking pan. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Be careful not to over bake. Cool completely. To make frosting, beat together all ingredients. Spread frosting on top of cooled peanut bars. Cut into squares.

6 responses to “Texas Country Reporter Cookbook”

Made these today. A great alternative to brownies, cup cakes are the usual norm treats people make for their family. My icing didn’t turn out very chocolatey. Other than that it was good and we all really enjoyed the oatmeal in the bars.